Flown too High, Maybe Swung too Low
by boughtthedream
Summary: In which Beck is distracted by Jade's choice of clothing.


**Dislcaimer:** I don't own Victorious

**Written for Bade Prompts Round 6**

**Prompt**- Pastiche- a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work; _also_: **such stylistic imitation**. I had no idea what this word meant when I first got it. I'm still not 100% sure.

**This is dedicated to Allison, who inspired this via our multiple chats on twitter and the wiki about Jade's recent choice of apparel.**

**All reviews are welcome and enjoy**

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Flown too High, Maybe Swung too Low

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"_I really should study more_ "is his first thought when he gets his history test back, a failed grade at the top. Then he realizes that he took a whole weekend to study for this test, and there's no reason he should have failed It., He registers Tori and Andre celebrating their high grades and frowns even more. To the other side of him Jade is balling up her test, but he catches a quick look at the A+ on top of hers. She bends over to put it in her bag and …

Well

Okay

So maybe if he' being honest he would admit to spending 90% of this class staring at Jade. Not his fault though. If she would just wear normal shirts and skirts like everyone else he wouldn't be so tempted.

Like seriously who wears a corset to school? She never dressed that way when they were together. He remembers modest shirts and black jeans during the majority of the relationship. Aren't there dress codes or something?

/

"Is it just me or does Jade wear revealing clothes?" They're at lunch and it's only him, Andre and Robbie right now.

"Nah, I don't think I've noticed." Then again Andre probably spends more time being afraid of Jade rather than looking at her.

"Jade always looks nice." Robbie offers looking nervous. He probably thinks Jade has microscopic chips hidden all over the place listening to their conversations. Now that he thinks about it, that idea doesn't seem too far off.

"Here comes the girls just pay attention to what Jade's wearing." The second they reach the tables Robbie's eye become glued to the table while Andre eyes widen.

See, he knew it wasn't just him.

At the moment she's wearing a skirt that might as well be a belt and a shirt low enough that if she bends over… He decides not to finish the thought.

Tori somehow spends lunch talking everyone to another trip to the beach. They don't have a good track record at that place but it's worth another try.

/

A few things happen when Jade takes off her cover up revealing a black bikini that just barely manages to cover what it needs to cover. Andre runs towards the water screaming "I didn't do anything." Before doing something that looked like an attempt to drown himself. Robbie stutters something about helping her put sunscreen on, only to be shot down. It really doesn't matter since Cat tells Robbie she needs help with getting sunscreen on and he looks like a kid in the candy store. After few seconds (minutes) of staring he decides to join Andre and Tori in the water. No need to let Jade's good looks interfere with his life, because he's been doing a great job at it so far. Liar!

Eventually everyone gets in the water except for Jade (the dolphin was only trying to be friendly) and it's a lot of fun. He sort of forgets about his problems, but a part of his brain is nagging on him to check up on Jade.

_Don't look. Don't look. Don't look. _.

He looks.

There are boys surrounding her. He's not jealous, he really isn't. They broke up and he has no control over her life. If she wants to flirt with random strangers, then good for her, he doesn't care. So what if she's laughing? He doesn't care. It doesn't bother him at all that that one of the boys keeps staring at her ass. Nope he's just going to stay in the ocean and enjoy his time at the beach…

He gets out. But only because he's thirsty! He has no plans of chasing those boys away. No one acknowledges him when he approaches, but whatever. He reaches into the cooler and brings out a bottle of water. Jade is still laughing at whatever jokes these morons are telling her, but that's not his problem.

"Dude, pass me one." It's the one who was shamelessly looking at Jade's butt. He could just reach in and get another bottle or he could…

"Don't call me dude, and get your own." He also has a few ideas on where that guy can shove his water bottle once he gets it.

"Chill, no need to get upset." There's also no need to be an idiot but it's not stopping that guy.

"Yes Beck," Jade is smirking up at him and it's really a beautiful sight. "You need to chill."

He walks away to the memory of giving him that mischievous smirk, knowing it can only mean one thing.

She's doing this on purpose. That and he is totally screwed.

/

Three painfully slow days later and he's ready to give up. Of course he could always man up and ask for Jade back, but he's not ready to let her win. That doesn't make things any easier. Somehow the fact that she's mean scissor loving Jade, can be completely ignored if she's wearing a short skirt. The amount of boys staring at her in the hallways is only increasing. Beck should know since he's one of them. It's not so bad since she still sends most guys running with only a glare, but occasionally she'll laugh at one's jokes or flirt mercilessly with another.

Their friends think he's crazy. Tori laughs his problems off, Cat's too busy talking about her brother, Robbie only blushes, and Andre always disappears whenever Beck goes near him. Jade's good she'll give him that.

That night he studies for tomorrow's history test and prays Jade doesn't come to school. Or at least comes dressed in ugly clothes.

He has to stay strong for the sake of this test.

/

As it turns out Jade isn't in class when he arrives. She's always in class before him, so he takes it as a sign of her not coming today. He's so getting an A on this test. He happily listens to Andre and Tori's chatter, feeling unbelievably happy. The teacher comes in and class starts and he's basically a giddy school girl. No distractions to bring him down in the form of Jade.

It all goes to hell the second the door opens. Ten years down the road he'll still question himself on whether the whole room went quite or if it was just his imagination.

In the history of knowing Jade, even when she wore skirts or dresses she always wore a form of tights or stockings underneath. Today she didn't. Nope, she bore miles of long, silky, pale legs for the whole world to see. Well her stupid games wouldn't work. He was a man on a mission, and he is going to pass this stupid test, so he could show her she had no control over him. He ignores her as she takes her seat and instead focuses on Andre who is banging his head against his desk. He made a mental note to ask Tori about Andre's wonkiness later.

The first ten minutes go great. He doesn't look at her once, and he actually knows the answers to the test. But he hears a pencil drop and it rolls to his feet.

"Beck, hand me my pencil." It's Jade, and it contemplates ignoring her. In fact he does ignore her. "Are you deaf? Beck I need my pencil just hand it to me."

**Worst. Choice. Ever.**

He hands her his pencil, and takes in the way her legs are crossed. The position makes her skirt fall at the top of her thighs, and it should be illegal for someone to look so good.

_Look away, look away, look away, lookaway!_

He doesn't look away.

/

Safe to say he doesn't pass the test. His teacher request to speak him after class the next day and he wonders how to explain that he isn't failing because a lack of studying, but because he's too busy ogling his ex girlfriend.

"Mr. Oliver, this is the fourth test in a row you've failed. I've talked it over with your parents, and we've all agreed that a tutor will be best. You'll meet her today, and you can sort out your schedule." He wants to argue, but he knows he doesn't have the courage to say the real truth.

"Who is it?"

"She's the person with the highest grade in my class. I'm sure you're familiar with Jade West."

The world is totally screwing him over.

/

They sit at a two person table in the middle of the library. She's up on her knees in a chair. He's sitting across from her, while she leans in the table towards his direction.

_Why yes, he is staring at her chest. _

Blame the low cut top she's wearing.

"So Beck I think we both know you don't need to improve your studying."

"I think you've been messing with me this whole time." Her smile confirms his idea. "What's the deal Jade?"

"I'm not doing anything." She looks innocent, so Beck knows she's lying. Jade is a lot of things but innocent isn't one of them.

"And despite what you may think I'm not stupid. What's with the clothes?"

"I'm just trying to look nice. Not all of us have quality hair to fall back on." She looks down and bites her lips, so he knows there's more. "A little bird may have told me, my clothes were distracting you and I just couldn't resist." She was telling the truth.

"But why did you start wearing different clothes in the first place?" Not to say he didn't like her current style, but her old wardrobe wasn't bad either.

"You broke up with me Beck. We had been dating for so long, I never really had anyone to impress. And suddenly I find myself single again, and I needed change. I got new clothes that made me feel sexy, and you actually liking my new style was icing on the cake. I mean seriously, how do you so distracted you forget to finish a test?" She sends him a smug look, and he only slightly (completely) embarrassed.

"Just for the record I think you're beautiful no matter what you're wearing." The smile she sends him is so breath taking, he kind of, sort of has to lean in and kiss her.

He totally isn't (is) smiling so hard it feels like his face may split when they finally part.

"So who told you about my problem?"

"You know Shapiro has a hard time keeping his mouth shut."

/

A week later he meets her in the janitor closet as soon as lunch ends and thrust clothes into her hands.

"What are these?'

"A pair of sweatpants borrowed from Trina, A long sleeved shirt from Tori, and a sweater from Cat." Sure he got strange looks from the girls he borrowed this stuff from, but he was on a mission.

"First of all this is pink, and second of all I refuse to wear clothes that were worn by the Vegas." She throws the clothes down as if they were causing her pain.

"Think of it as a pastiche of clothing, a little bit of everyone all rolled up into one."

"Yeah a little bit of everyone who annoys me, Beck no I'm not wearing these. What's wrong with my clothes anyway?" Her dress goes to her knees, and she's wearing a shawl over the top, but he's not taking the chance.

"It's test day. I really do need to pass this test." She glares at him and grumbles, but when she opens the door and shoves him out he knows he's won.

"Thanks babe!"

He was going to rock this test.

/

He fails.

Which he kind of, should've been expected since he passed up studying to make up for lost time with Jade. But when she reveals a failing grade at the top her paper he feels a lot better.

Screw tests, he's got a beautiful view to look at and that's not ending anytime soon.


End file.
